Here's Why Working Class Families Are Resorting To Hotels For Housing

covid 19 anti poverty protest
Via Wikimedia Commons
Tremain Prioleau II
November 16, 2023

In many cities across the country, working class families are resorting to using hotels as temporary sources of housing.

This comes as the nation is experiencing record increases in houselessness  in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates there are 582,500 people currently without access to stable housing.

A combination of a few important economic factors explain this trend: Inflation, rising housing prices, and a lack of affordable housing.

For example, Atlanta has one of the highest densities of extended-stay hotels in the country. According to Bloomberg, in 2021, families booked 67% of budget extended-stay hotels in the Gwinnett County for 30 days or more.

According to the Urban Institute, there is a shortage of 7.3 million affordable and available rental homes for low income people. But experts say reversing the trend may boil down to increasing job availability.

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